Leaving Jesus

Leaving Jesus

Revised Edition

Copyright 2011, 2012 James Wood Jr.

Published by New Dominion Publishing at Smashwords

Also available as a paperback at lulu.com

Also available as an audiobook at www.leavingjesus.net

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Table of Contents

Introduction - Tell a lie often enough...

Chapter 1 - The Cycle Starts Again...

Chapter 2 - Is Who is the Messiah? the Right Question?

Chapter 3 - Sin and Atonement through God's Eyes

Chapter 4 - Isaiah 53: Linchpin or Nail in the Coffin?

Chapter 5 - Examining the Messianic Prophecies

Chapter 6 - Vain Genealogies

Chapter 7 - The Confident God vs. The Bashful God

Chapter 8 - Paul: Apostle or Pretender Prophet

Chapter 9 - Satan: God's Servant, Nemesis or...

Chapter 10 - Crucifying the Resurrection

Chapter 11 - Will the Real Messiah Step Forward?

Chapter 12 - Conclusions

About the Author

Dedication

I dedicate this book to God and my Parents who gave me life, and to my brother Rabbi Tovia Singer for showing me what I couldn't see.

I would like to thank my wonderful wife Alison and my children for encouraging me while I wrote this book.

I would also like to thank my friend David Isaiah Dryden, who took time out from writing his upcoming book, The Bitter Root: Apostle Paul, to edit this book.

Introduction

Tell a lie often enough...

It is easy to lie to children because they are so trusting. People do this all the time. It starts with Santa Clause, progresses to the Tooth Fairy and may end at the Easter bunny. These lies aren't told to children in order to hurt them. The thought is to give children a good time. Christmas and Easter are supposed to be fun for the children. What harm is a little white lie told to the kids? It's all in fun and it adds a sense of mystery to the holiday. It enhances the lives of the children and adds to the anticipation.

Of course, the parents don't actually believe these lies. They know better. They have been through the entire cycle. They received the lies when they are young. They start to question the lies. They eventually find out the truth. They tell their children the lies. The children receive the lies. The cycle repeats.

The question is, What if the parents didn't know they were telling a lie? What if parents actually believed the lies they taught their children? Think about the possible harm they could unknowingly do. What if the lie that was being told had been perpetuated for many decades, perhaps even for thousands of years? What if most of society believed this lie? How would you break the cycle of the lie being passed down to the next generation?

This book is about a lie sprinkled with truth that has been twisted. In this book, I will present the problem that this lie has caused and how it could be affecting your life. It is my hope that when you read this book you will be able to learn the truth and, if need be, deliver yourself.

This book is written with two types of people in mind. First, I wrote this book for the Christian, in order to help them understand what they are dealing with when they try to make sense of Jesus and the New Testament. The second type of person, is the one who would like to learn how to defend their beliefs against the Christian missionary that uses the Hebrew Scriptures to promote their version of the messiah.

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Chapter 1

The Cycle Starts Again...

I was born into a family that was highly moral but not what I would call Christian. My parents taught me right from wrong but remarkably little about religion. My father was raised in a Mennonite colony, my mother on the outskirts of the colony. My Grandparents were not religious and knew little about the Bible. The result of this was neither of my parents knew much about the Bible either. My parents and grandparents acknowledged the existence of God and Satan but other than that they never discussed their beliefs, if they had any.

When I was about seven, my father decided that we would start attending a Southern Baptist church. I don't know what prompted my father to make this decision. It was soon after my father informed our family that he felt the call to the ministry and would become a pastor. He took some correspondence classes and studied on his own, then with little knowledge of the Bible, took a church near Washington, D.C.

My father is an honest man that has studied hard and knows his New Testament. His beliefs have evolved during his life as a pastor from the main line Southern Baptist beliefs through Pentecostalism finally settling into a form of Messianic Judaism.

These belief systems that my father has progressed through exhibit considerable diversity but they show incredible unity. Of course, I am speaking specifically about my father's beliefs, but this book is actually about the generalities of Christianity. This book is about the way the New Testament presents Jesus as the Messiah and it questions if Christianity is justified in believing that he is.

Universally, Christianity's belief system acknowledges sin, man's depravity, Jesus' messiah-ship and his sacrifice for mankind's salvation. Without doubt, Christian groups would probably disagree with some aspects of these beliefs but one that they all share is the belief that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. They all base this common belief on the fact that the New Testament clearly states that he is. As a matter of fact, Jesus himself states that he is The Messiah.

The belief that Jesus is The Messiah (or the Christ) is the foundation of Christianity thus the name Christianity. Without this binding belief, Christianity would have faded away long ago. Christians might disagree with one another that Jesus is divine, but you will not find any Christians that do not believe that he was the Messiah. One point to remember is that Christians not only believe in a messiah, but they believe specifically that Jesus is the Messiah. To the Christian, their primary belief system starts with the fact that Jesus is The Messiah and all of their secondary beliefs flow from that. But what if their primary belief is an error? Do Christians consider any facts, or are they actually relying only on their vaporous beliefs?

Personally, I have met many Christians that have told me that they have had a personal experience with Jesus, even a personal relationship. I don't mean that they are saying they have physically seen Jesus or that they have had a vision of him. They insist that they have developed an emotional bond with him that transcends anything physical. A few have even said that they feel that he is more real to them than their spouse or any other relative. When questioned why they believe this, their response is usually the common mantra, You just gotta believe! For the most part, these Christians are usually unwilling to examine any facts that prove that Jesus is not The Messiah. If given a choice, they would prefer their erroneous beliefs to any biblical evidence that would counter them. This is an emotional response.

I want to be brutally honest here. If I ask most Christians if they believe that it is possible to have a personal relationship with George Washington, I know (the opposite of believe) that they would answer, no! They would probably indicate that the reason would be because George Washington died long ago. But, if I were to ask if they could have a personal relationship with Jesus they would emphatically reply, yes!

If asked what the difference was between George and Jesus, they would probably say that, George had not died for their sins and doesn't live in their heart!

Does the Hebrew Bible (what Christians refer to as the Old Testament) actually present the idea that The Messiah will come die for man's sins and live in man's heart? If you "believe" the Hebrew Bible teaches this idea, and you will not consider any alternative then this book is not for you. But if you are willing to suspend your beliefs in Jesus for even a moment then read on and pray to the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and ask him to open your eyes to the truth, whatever it may be.

Generally, Christians believe the following. God created man perfect and sinless and placed him in the Garden of Eden. When man and his wife disobeyed God, they sinned for the first time and immediately inherited a sin nature. After the sin nature had been impressed upon them, in fact, they became only able to sin. It was then, God set in motion his plan to redeem them from their sins and sin nature. Christianity believes that in the third chapter of Genesis, God himself foretells that The Messiah will come and deliver man from his sin through a veiled innuendo as shown in this Scripture.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14,15)

Christians believe this messiah came as Jesus, died upon the cross for the sins of mankind and rose again on the third day. After forty days, he ascended to heaven to sit at God's right hand. Of course, Christians also believe that Jesus will come again, defeat his enemies including Satan and then live with man on Earth forever more. Christians also believe that they will rule with Jesus for all eternity.

Most Christians will tell you that they believe that the New Testament teaches that Jesus is the Messiah and even unbelievers will agree. I have read and studied the Christian Bible for over twenty-five years. I agree that the New Testament does teach that Jesus is the Messiah in unmistakable transparent language. Christians will also tell you that the New Testament gets much of its information directly from the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). As a matter of fact, there are at first glance many scriptures that appear to be pulled directly from the Hebrew Bible. Pastors, teachers, lay people, and missionaries alike will tell you that Jesus is written on every page of the Old Testament.

I was a committed Christian for twenty-five years and agreed with these beliefs. Although this was true, I had come to a turning point. I knew I had to re-evaluate my theology. In this book, I will explain the reasons why I came to understand what the Hebrew Bible actually teaches about the subject of the messiah, and its implications for your eternity.

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Chapter 2

Is Who is the Messiah? the Right Question?

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias (Messiah) cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. (John 4:25,26)

Jesus' words without any doubt reveal that he believed that he was The Messiah. To the average Christian this is proof enough. But to the serious Hebrew Bible Scholar this verse would raise serious questions. We will do a short Bible study to see why this verse raises serious questions in the mind of Hebrew Bible Scholars.

First let's examine the word messiah. Words mean things. People often pour into words the meaning that they have manufactured in their own mind. More often, they use meanings that someone else has constructed erroneously without their knowledge. True Bible scholars don't have the luxury to allow this. If they did, it would be dishonest and would ultimately lead to an inability to understand the biblical text.

How one understands the Bible shapes your personal world view. One could only imagine how the world has been shaped by world views of those who had no interest in an intense study of God's Word.

Here, I present an analogy. If you want to know if someone is a plumber, then you must know what the word plumber means. More importantly, you must know what makes a plumber a plumber. If you learn what the word plumber means, then you can critically examine someone that tries to pass themselves off as a plumber. If they don't do anything that a plumber does, you would question how this person could be a plumber.

This chapter will examine and answer the question, "Who is the Messiah?" It is not my intention to name a person whom I believe to be The Messiah but rather to explain the concept. Also, we will determine if Christianity's focus on The Messiah is misplaced. That is not to say that I will not name persons that we can eliminate because they do not fit the requirements of the end-times-king that are found in the Hebrew Bible.

First, we must define the term messiah. If you want answers to questions about biblical subjects, the best place to start is the Bible itself. One way people who seriously study the Bible determine what words used in the Hebrew Bible mean is to study their usage, particularly their first usage in the Torah (the books of Moses.)

Before we define the word, here is a fact that you should realize. The English word Messiah, a rough transliteration of the Hebrew word Mashiach (mah-shee'-ahk), appears only twice in the King James Bible. Both times the word appears in the ninth Chapter of Daniel. This is the problem, the Hebrew word Mashiach (mah-shee'-ahk) is actually found 39 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The two Scripture references in the King James Version Bible that use the word Messiah found in Daniel, follow.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah(Mashiach/Messiah) the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah(Mashiach/Messiah) be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:25,26)

Without getting into the actual translation or language used here, you must realize that the Hebrew word that is translated Messiah above is the same Hebrew word that is translated anointed everywhere else in the King James Version Bible. The translators rendered mashiach as anointed except here in Daniel chapter 9 for seemingly no reason. This particular passage in Daniel will be discussed later in chapter 5 of this book.

Following, are the remaining verses that contain the same Hebrew word but translated anointed.

If the priest that is anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. (Leviticus 4:3)

And the priest that is anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) shall take of the bullock’s blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation. (Leviticus 4:5)

And the priest that is anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) shall bring of the bullock’s blood to the tabernacle of the congregation: (Leviticus 4:16)

And the priest of his sons that is anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) in his stead shall offer it: it is a statute for ever unto the LORD; it shall be wholly burnt. (Leviticus 6:22)

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah).(1 Samuel 2:10)

And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) for ever. (1 Samuel 2:35)

Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed (Mashiach / Messiah): whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? who have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. (1 Samuel 12:3)

And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. (1 Samuel 12:5)

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) is before him. (1 Samuel 16:6)

And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) of the LORD. (1 Samuel 24:6)

Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (1 Samuel 24:10)

And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), and be guiltless? (1 Samuel 26:9)

The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah): but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. (1 Samuel 26:11)

This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. (1 Samuel 26:16)

The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (1 Samuel 26:23)

And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah)? (2 Samuel 1:14)

And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (2 Samuel 1:16)

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) with oil. (2 Samuel 1:21)

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’S anointed (Mashiach/Messiah)? (2 Samuel 19:21)

He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), unto David, and to his seed for evermore. (2 Samuel 22:51)

Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, (2 Samuel 23:1)

Saying, Touch not mine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), and do my prophets no harm.(1Chronicles 16:22)

O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah): remember the mercies of David thy servant. (2 Chronicles 6:42)

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), saying, (Psalm 2:2)

Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), to David, and to his seed for evermore. (Psalm 18:50)

Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah); he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. (Psalm 20:6)

The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (Psalm 28:8)

Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (Psalm 84:9)

But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (Psalm 89:38)

Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (Psalm 89:51)

Saying, Touch not mine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), and do my prophets no harm. (Psalm 105:15)

For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (Psalm 132:10)

There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah). (Psalm 132:17)

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed (Mashiach/Messiah), to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut. (Isaiah 45:1)

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed (Mashiach/Messiah) of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen. (Lamentations 4:20)

Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed (Mashiach/Messiah); thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. (Habakkuk 3:13)

This is an all inclusive list of the only scriptures in the Hebrew Bible where the word messiah or anointed is to be found. There are no references here to The Messiah except in direct reference to Aaron, the priest that is anointed, literally the priest the anointed in Leviticus 4:3,4:5,4:16 and 6:12. There is no direct reference to the end-times-king who Christians call The Messiah to be found anywhere in the Hebrew Bible. Many Christians and Messianic Jews call Jesus, "Yeshua Ha-Mashiach," meaning, Jesus The Messiah even though the Hebrew Bible never calls this end-times-king, "The Messiah." This usage seems to have originated around the time of or slightly before Jesus.

The Hebrew word that is translated Messiah is based on a Hebrew word Mashach meaning to smear. This word is first used in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis. God is speaking to Jacob and uses this word the first time.

I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst (mashach) the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. (Genesis 31:13)

This word represents the physical action to smear not merely a conceptualized action as Christians use it today. Specifically, in its proper usage throughout the Hebrew Bible means smear with oil.

In the Hebrew Bible, certain people and even objects were set aside to perform special service for God. These people or objects were anointed with oil as a sign that they were set aside for this service. Objects such as the bread cakes, the Altar, bulls, and even the Tabernacle were all anointed with oil.

Christians seem to believe that there was to be only one messiah thus they refer to him as The Messiah. This concept is flawed. There were many messiahs during the time that Israel existed as a nation before the destruction of Jerusalem. There were even some false messiahs afterward.

What was the first thing anointed in the Hebrew Bible? According to the Hebrew Bible, it was a stone pillar as we saw in Genesis 31:13. The first human messiah was Aaron the high priest. His sons followed him in the priesthood and became messiahs also. Aaron's anointing is so important that it is mentioned three times in the Torah (Exodus 28:41; 30:30; 40:13) and David describes it in Psalm 133:2.

There are also others that were anointed. The Hebrew Kings were all messiahs. Saul, David, Solomon and other Jewish kings were all messiahs. The kings were all anointed either by a prophet or a priest. Even King Cyrus is called, God's Messiah in Isaiah 45:1.

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed (Mashiach), to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; (Isaiah 45:1)

Although, Cyrus wasn't an Israelite, he was a king. Other nations also anointed their kings. This is why the Jewish people call the end-times-king that God will set on his throne in Jerusalem The Messiah. Because he is a king means he is a messiah or anointed but being a messiah does not automatically make one a king. This end-times messiah is a distinct messiah that will rule the entire world.

Christians believe this end-times-king is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible many times. As a matter of fact, some Christians estimate that there are well over three hundred prophecies foretelling of Jesus' role as this Messiah.

The following is an introduction of how Christians approach these messianic prophecies. It is in no way a comprehensive attempt to explain the list of prophecies that Christians use to try to prove that Jesus is The Messiah.

Christians actually start very early in the Torah Scriptures with their list of prophecies. Most everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve. They were the first people to sin and that resulted in the entire human race falling. When God confronts them, he passes judgment on them and punishes everyone involved. But God has a peculiar punishment for the serpent, who Christians believe to be Satan (we will discuss the Christian belief pertaining to Satan later in chapter 9.) In the following verses, we see that God dishes out this punishment then makes a statement that Christians see as a prophecy.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14,15)

Christians say in the passage above, the phrase her seed refers to the virgin birth. Their reason for saying this is because they believe that it is customary to refer to children as seed of men, not women. They think this is the only reference in the entire Bible to seed coming from a woman. They believe this seed must be different. This is a flimsy argument at best. If you think for a moment that this is plausible, you need to reread Genesis. I wonder why Christians haven't found the following verses.

And the angel of the LORD found her (Hagar) by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:7-12)

The angel is speaking to Hagar and uses the same basic term referring to her seed. This scripture also shows a child being referred to as her (Hagar's) seed. Is this a messianic prophecy? No, of course not. After looking at this passage, why do you suppose that Christians still believe that the statement in Genesis 3 is a prophecy foretelling of a virgin birth? Could it be that they are relying on centuries of misuse of the Hebrew Bible passages because it is the way that it has always been done?

This is only one example of the type of scholarship that has led many people astray from the truth. In chapter 5, I will reveal how many, if not all, of the major New Testament prophetic passages misuse the Hebrew Bible to promote a distorted view of God's Word in order to promote Jesus as the only candidate for the end-times-king. Christians believe that there is utterly no one else that could be The Messiah. No one else need apply.

I don't blame the average Christian because they are not trained to study the Bible critically in order to tell when they are being sold a bill of goods. More times than not, when someone comes to make a decision to accept Jesus they are told to start their reading with the New Testament, specifically the Gospel of John. This is done in order to immerse them right away into the God-Man doctrine. I have often wondered, if Jesus is on every page of the Hebrew Bible, why don't pastors instruct new believers to start their reading with Genesis? The following verse, which is said to come from the lips of Jesus, follows this line of thinking.

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

These are supposedly the words of Jesus. He was a man that many Christians believe was God in the flesh. I will discuss this belief and if it is found in the Hebrew Bible later in Chapter 7. One thing has bothered me for a long time about this particular passage. If Jesus had expounded (or interpreted) how these Hebrew Bible scriptures were actually pertaining to him then why weren't any of these revelations written down by anyone? Also, many times I had pondered the fact that previous to Jesus all of God's prophets had written down their revelations as a record to be passed down to future generations. It would seem that the only thing written down by Jesus was quickly scattered by the footsteps of his contemporaries.¹

Revelations from the mouth of a walking, talking man that had been previously deceased would have been an earth-shattering revelation to the average Israelite. But these men never recorded these sayings. Instead, these things were written down much later by men that were desperate to defend their beliefs, namely the authors of the New Testament. As John wrote in his gospel exposing his true intent behind writing his gospel.

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31)

This verse tells us much about the mindset of the writer if not all of the writers of the New Testament. The concept being delivered here to the reader is that the belief in a person being the anointed is essential to the eternal life of an individual. This sounds very Biblical but let's be sober for a moment. Remember that this is a new concept found in the New Testament and